Tuesday tilts his head before catching on and doing as Tal instructed.
Mera watches the rope exchange process between Tal and Tuesday. She asks with a look of uncertainty, "And what exactly are we doing with this rope Tal?"
Well we have to get across to keep searching right? the safest way I figure is if you have a rope line to pull yourself across. If you don't like that then you can try jumping across. Its only 15ft but not something I would like to try without knowing the depths of this place.
Mera folds her arms and raises her eyebrows. Looking back at Naberius she asks "Surely someone with your talents is able to float us across this somehow, correct? Jumping a pit or using a rope is just so... I don't know, primitive."
Still thoroughly fascinated by the artificial nature of the surrounding environment, it takes Naberius a few moments to realise that he has been asked a question. "Hm? No, I am afraid do not have access to such a spell at this juncture. However, it might be that whoever designed this place took such matters into consideration. I suspect that the gravitational anomaly present in this space would cause one to descend at a reduced pace, as compared to our little corner of the Material Plane. Observe..."
The wizard picks up a piece of debris off the floor and drops it into the pit to test his theory.
Monday veers over into the pit to watch the debris.
As Naberius drops the debris it falls slowly and disappears after twelve seconds . Only to reappear from above and repeat the cycle.
Tuesday is able to float across and secure the rope.
Tuesday turns and gives a thumbs up to the others after making sure the rope is securely attached.
Tal holds the other end secure to give the group a solid line as they move across. If Naberius theory was correct with the falling debris that reappeared then even should 1 of them fall they would come back and could grab the rope on the way by.
You all make it across without incident.
These halls are lined with doors—entrances into various jail cells. Each stout wooden door contains a narrow barred window set at eye level, and is also barred from the outside, with the exception of the door to one cell , which is unbarred.
Each of these cells contains a simple straw mattress and the mummified remains of a long-dead prisoner.
This cell looks like the others, save that no body is present and it is unbarred.
Moaning mournfully, this cell contains a Bearded Devil. When he sees you, he stops howling. Has Dargentu Vheed sent you to free me? Surely I have been here long enough. Please free me, I have been here too, too long! and with that he lets out another mournful wail. Surprisingly, the devil is armed with a red glaive.
Barbazus are fond of making charge attacks with their glaives, and try to maintain a 10-foot gap between themselves and their foes so they can use their signature polearms to great effect. Against a foe that has greater reach (or one able to otherwise avoid the devil’s favored
tactic), they drop their glaives and resort to their claws and hideous beards.
At attention, bearded devils stand over 6 feet tall(though their squatting battle stances often make them appear shorter) and weigh upward of 200 pounds.
"Aww, poor guy. Do you know where the key to your cell is or who might have it?" Monday genuinely asks.
Mera thinks about who these people could be or what this creature could be. She shrugs and leans into Naberius and whispers, "I cannot place him or Dargentu Vheed at the moment. Do you know with whom he speaks or what he is?"
Tal takes a cursory glance at each of the barred doors as they pass until his eye lights upon the unbarred one. Finding something to wedge the door open Tal looks inside this particular cell wondering why this one is different than the others.
perception
Coming out he hears the moaning coming from a barred cell. Moving closer he sees the bearded devil shut within. When Monday asks her question as if she might free the devil Tal looks aghast at her. Monday, what are you thinking? We don't know why he is here. We can't just free him.
Naberius tilts his head at the captive, lowering his voice to answer Mera's query—just loud enough to be heard by his companions, but excluding the caged creature. "Dargentu Vheed was the former Lord-Mayor, rumouredly murdered by Aberian Arvanxi. I would not tell our new friend that its master is deceased, however... we might be able to use it to our advantage."
He nods at the prisoner. "Speaking of which: that is a bearded devil, more properly known as a barbazu. They are the elite soldiers of Hell, more brutes than schemers. I would take anything it says with a grain of salt, however... it is in the nature of every devil to lie if it gives them advantage. Regardless, it might have valuable information about our current assignment."
The diabolist moves towards the cell door, staying well beyond the range of the glaive. In a much more authoritative tone, he adresses the devil in its own hellish tongue:
"როგორც ერთი, ვინც ფლობს ღილაკები თქვენი გათავისუფლება, მე იქნება სვამს კითხვებს. რა უნდა გავაკეთოთ, რომ იმსახურებს თავისუფლების აღკვეთა, და რა არის წესით თქვენი თავისუფლების აღკვეთა? მე ვიცი, თქვენ შეუძლია ტელეპორტაცია."
The bearded devil stops wailing on hearing the long-heard tongue.
He responds, როგორც ერთი, ვინც ფლობს ღილაკები თქვენი გათავისუფლება, მე იქნება სვამს კითხვებს. რა უნდა გავაკეთოთ, რომ იმსახურებს თავისუფლების აღკვეთა, და რა არის წესით თქვენი თავისუფლების აღკვეთა? მე ვიცი, თქვენ შეუძლია ტელეპორტაცია კითხვებს რომ მე! რომ მე!
Mera understands the speech of the devil, but makes no sign of recognition. Oh brother, this is pathetic. She lets Naberius continue with his line of questioning since he has established a dominant relationship with the creature.
Naberius nods impassively. "მე ვხედავ. მითხარით ყველაფერი იცით კვანძი ეშმაკი და ინგლისური ჯვარი. ამისათვის, და მე შეიძლება განიხილოს თქვენი გათავისუფლებას."
Mera watches Naberius speak and is less than impressed with his performance. Thinking to herself, That'll never work, she decides to intervene after all. After initially not wanting to circumvent his authority, she decides to make a show of things. Stepping out from the shadows behind Naberius she crosses her arms on her chest and frowns heavily. Exuding as much nonverbal authority she can, she straightens her stance as she adjusts the tiara on her head for visual effect. Mera flings off a string of sentences in infernal with a practiced tongue. "თქვენი თავისუფლება დამოკიდებული იმ სიზუსტით თქვენი სიტყვები. თუ ჩვენ კმაყოფილები ვართ თქვენი პასუხი შემდეგ მე პირადად გამოიყურება დადებითად საფუძველზე მინიჭების თქვენი თხოვნა გათავისუფლებას. მე ვერ ვხედავ მიზეზს, რომ თქვენ უნდა დარჩეს აქ მას შემდეგ, რაც დადასტურებული სასარგებლო."
After a pause Monday points at the two with Infernal tongues that she didn't understand. "You should listen to them, they're really smart."
Tal stands there impassive as the apparent talks proceed. He could understand the language after being forced to understand it to ensure his safety and those he guarded but he preferred nit to speak the language himself. A careful observer though could see that he understood what was going on as thus hand curled around the longsword at his hip.
Naberius steps to the side, restraining himself from chiding Mera for using such nebulous terms as freedom. The denizens of Hell had little use for mortal conceptions of emancipation, leaving room for multiple conflicting interpretations that could easily be exploited during summoning—a common shortcoming that was scoured out of potential diabolists quite early on in their training. However, the overall effect of the diva's performance was more than enough to make up for semantics. They were hardly dealing with a phistophilus, in any case...
Szasmir despairs and says დადასტურებ აფერი იცით კვა რაც დადასტურებული ვხედავ? მითხარით დადებითად! საფუძველზე მინიჭების აქ მას შემდეგ, რაც დადას.
He then looks at how well-armed you all are.
თქვენი გათავისუფლება, მე იქნება სვამს კითხვებს. რა უნდა გავაკეთოთ, რომ იმსახურებს თავისუფლების აღკვეთა, და რა არის წესით თქვენი თავისუფლების აღკვეთა? მე ვიცი, თქვენ შეუძლია ტელეპორტაცია კითხ....
He starts to wail again.
"რა არის გარიყული მეფე?" asks Naberius.
After they are done with questioning, the wizard motions for his companions to step a ways off into the hall, where the devil cannot hear their conversation. "As heartless as it might seem, I would suggest that we leave the barbazu contained for the time being. Had we some way of ensuring its cooperation, I would have no issue with its release. We could devise a contract, but such an action would take time. This specimen seems to have lost some of its faculties due to isolation, in any case, and might act erratically regardless of such arrangements. There is nothing stopping it from simply attacking us once it is freed, not to mention causing unnecessary damage elsewhere, which could endanger out mission. A maddened devil is little better than a demon..."
Naberius looks primarily towards Mera, as if he was expecting her to make the final decision.
"Or we could just let him out and see if he finds any shortcuts or traps." Monday suggests.
Mera's posture remains rigid and straight as offers a swift half nod of her head in acknowledgement of Naberius's statement. "I concur. While I do not agreed with keeping prisoners unnecessarily, I think the only way to ensure our protection for the time being is to leave it here. I suggest we tell it that we will think on it's actions and determine it's fate by the end of the day. This gives us time to do what we need to do and perhaps not need to ensure that pathetic wailing any longer."
Looking back over her shoulder and relaxes her stance. She considers the plight of the devil and adds, "It also gives us the advantage of having time to work out what may work best in our favor."
Looking to Monday she responds, "True, but as Naberius suggests, letting him out now could possibly end with us in an unnecessary combat with the creature."
Tal breathes a sigh of relief when they decide to keep the devil incarcerated. Do not let ourselves be side tracked by this devil. We came here for a purpose and that is the Crux. Once we find that then let us deliberate on the benefit of freeing a devil out into the world.
"Poor guy..." Monday glumly says to herself.
ვხედავ? დადასტურებული.
He then looks at the Glaive for a moment and nods. Then says in common,
I...can...help...you...defeat...it...with...my...glaive.
"Seeeeeeeeeee! He wants to help!" Monday states indignantly.
Tal stares at Monday still flabbergasted, And as soon as he helps defeat it, what ever it is, what is to keep him from attacking us then? Or some helpless invalid on the streets?
Tal looks at Naberius and asks him directly, Are you able to control him and his actions once he is free. Bind him to you until we are done here and only allow him to return back to his plane immediately?
"Um, once he's out can't he just poof back to the Hells or something?"
[bI would think so but I don't want him poofing to attack someone else/[/b]
"He might just find a nice lava pool to lounge and vacation for awhile."
Naberius ignores the back-and-forth for the moment, instead focusing his magical senses on the devil's unusual weapon...
Frowning at Monday she asks, "Why do you wish to free him so? Do you think perhaps he is not behind this prison for a reason?"
Mera watches Naberius focus in on the devil once more and waits patiently to see what he has uncovered.
Frowning at Monday she asks, "Why do you wish to free him so? Do you think perhaps he is not behind this prison for a reason?"
Monday turns and narrows her eyes at the Diva. "After the time I have spent and all I've witnessed in this hellhole of a city? No. Either that or he is in there for a very stupid reason."
After she speaks she turns to look back at the caged Devil. "He just looks so pitiful, and broken."
He looks at the glaive, then all of you. I...real...good...soldier.
"See!" Monday lets out as she throws both her arms out at the Devil. "Pleeeeeeeeaaaaasssse, can we let him out?"
Tal looks at Naberius and Mera with a shrug of his shoulders. I am against it but more for the potential harm afterwards. If you want it freed then so be it but any harm it does I will expect you three to make amends.
"Deal!" Monday happily quips before moving over to unbar the door.
Mera holds up her hands incredulously, unable to fathom Monday's love for all creatures. Rolling her eyes she says in a very exasperated breath, "I was just getting used to the concept of the tieflings! Now you are to add a devil into the fold?"
Looking to Tal she raises an eyebrow, "Us three? For the record big boy, I'm not in favor of this course of action."
Once more she turns to Naberius as if his word will sway the argument one way or the other.
Naberius moves after Monday to stop her from releasing the devil, turning her around to look her straight in the eye. Something about her honest concern for a thing so obviously undeserving of compassion shakes him to the core, though he has trouble understanding why. A more elaborate plea flits briefly through his mind, but what the wizard actually ends up saying is uncharacteristically lacking in verbosity. "No, just... please trust me on this. This is what I do. We should move on."
The creature, seeing the tide of popular opinion start to turn against him starts to wail again, but suddenly stops. He looks at the glaive for a moment then looks at Monday. Please...fair...lady...Free...me...and...I...will...be...your....personal.. .protector.
Caught off guard by Naberius catching her Monday halts and hears him out, a soft smile forming on her face as she does so. "I do trust you, Nabe."
When the imprisoned Fiend calls out to her Monday turns her head to him. "Oh don't worry, you don't have to do that. Oh! I have an idea. If you give us the glaive then my friends won't mind letting out. You won't be scary and you don't have to protect us. Right?" with that final word she turned back to Naberius.